Small Town
by Kimikashi1161
Summary: Kuroko AU - Kagami Taiga moves to a small town at his parent's will. In such an small town with single K-12 school, there's only one basketball team with both genders. One of the players he meets ends up really getting on his nerves... Kagami x Fem! Kuroko
1. Chapter 1

Kagami sighed as he approached the front door of his new house. 'Ugh, this place sucks,' he thought for the hundredth time. He opened the front door, dropped his bag, and ran up the stairs to his room. He flopped onto his bed, suddenly aware that he now lived alone, and trudged back downstairs to close the front door and grab something to eat from the kitchen.

"Ugh, this place STILL sucks," Kagami said out loud this time. He opened the fridge: nothing. The pantry: nothing. "UUUGGGHHH"

The landline began to ring as Kagami closed the pantry door. "Why do these even exist anymore..." he mumbled as he answered. "Yo."

"Young man, you need to learn to answer the phone properly sooner or later."

'Ugh. HER again.' "Yeah, whatever mom."

"Look, are you moved in yet?"

"Yes, mom. I'm moved in. I only had two bags. How long could it take to unpack two bags?"

"(sighs) No need to get sarcastic with me. Look, don't forget to set your alarm so you wake up in time for school tomorrow. I'll call you every now and again."

"Whatever."

"Goodbye, Taiga."

"Bye." (click)

Kagami sighed in relief. 'Good thing THAT conversation is over,' he thought. 'I wonder if there's a convenience store nearby...'

Kagami stepped out the front door, closing it behind him and locking it. He shoved his hands in his old basketball jacket pockets and began walking down the sidewalk towards the town. 'This place is so old and run-down...I heard the school has only two-hundred students, too...' Kagami sighed, yet again. He was beginning to feel slightly depressed, so the second he saw a fast-food restaurant he immediately walked inside.

"I'll have twenty of those burgers at the top, and...nah, that's all."

"F-Forty, ninety-five, s-sir..." the flabbergasted cashier answered.

"Sure." Kagami pulled a fifty out of his pocket, accepting the change from the startled cashier. Kagami found a booth by the front window of the restaurant and sat down with his tray of burgers. He opened his first burger and began eating.

"Can I help you?" Kagami looked across the booth and noticed a small blue-headed girl, and began choking on his burger. He swallowed and gasped loudly.

"Where the hell did you come from?!" He exclaimed.

"Um, I've been here the whole time..."

Kagami thought back. "What?! No way! I didn't even notice you!"

The blue-haired girl sighed. "I know." She took a sip out of her drink. "You're gonna eat all that?"

Kagami was still awestruck. "You're eating only that?" he said, pointing to her drink. "We're both on equal terms at this point."

She took another sip out of her drink. "I come here all the time. This is all I need, anyway. Do you also enjoy vanilla shakes?" Kagami slowly took another bite out of his burger.

"All I need are these. I don't eat ice cream."

"This isn't ice cream. This is a shake."

"Smartass. They're the same thing."

"No they aren't." She took another sip of her drink. It did not take Kagami much longer to finish his food. At one point, he became so enraged at the small bicker, he began to eat much faster, soon having only one burger left. He quickly ate it and stood up.

"Well, I have to go, so-" He soon noticed the small, blue-haired girl was already gone. He grunted, shoved his hands into his pockets, and headed back home. 'I'll probably never even see her again anyway...she looked about ten. What was she doing out alone, I wonder?' Kagami sighed one last time as the sun began to set.


	2. Chapter 2

Kagami slammed his hand on the top of his alarm clock, nearly breaking the snooze button. He yawned loudly, sitting up and slowly making his way out of bed and towards the bathroom. He slowly brushed his teeth and combed his hair with his hands. Upon returning to his room, he searched his closet for something to wear.

'Hm,' he thought. 'Well, I don't know if I'll ever need these again, so I might as well get used to wearing them less often...but that can wait till tomorrow.' Kagami pulled a white tank and his old basketball jacket and pants out from his closet and slipped them on. 'After I get my uniform, this will probably be the last time I wear these...'

Kagami looked in his mirror, sighed, and headed downstairs. 'Now, the real question is, am I motivated enough to make breakfast before I go?' Kagami glanced at the clock on the oven and completely gave up the whole concept of breakfast, grabbing his schoolbag and walking out the front door, locking it behind him.

'I probably should have gone to the opening ceremony so I knew at least where to go...nah, basketball is always better.'  
The school was about a fifteen minute walk from his house. He arrived at a decent time, and decided to real the bulletin to find out which class he would be in. He scanned the lists, quickly learning there was only one class for each grade.

'God this place is so old...' he thought, scrolling through the last names until he reached the K's. He quickly found the tenth grade list, and found his name on top of the only other person in the class with the last name K. "Kuroko Tetsuya, eh? Ha, what a girly last name for a boy," he mumbled to himself. Once he was done entertaining himself, Kagami couldn't help but notice his peers whispering and looking upwards. "Ugh, It's them again..." "Why does no one stop them?""At least It's semi-entertaining..."

Kagami looked up towards the roof of the school and noticed a small group of kids leaning against the rail, yelling at the top of their lungs. Their speech was hard to hear at such a far distance, but still fairly perceivable. Kagami leaned towards the nearest group of staring kids. "Hey, uh, who are those guys?" "You don't know? They're the basketball club. They've been doing stupid stuff like this since last year. Honestly, it just gets on everybody's nerves, but the teachers here are super nonchalant, so they get away with a lot of stuff."

"Basketball, eh?..." Kagami, out of curiosity and determination, decided the best course of action for him right now would be to skip class and find out where the basketball club was currently residing. He figured it wouldn't be too big of a deal, today was the first day of school so all of the clubs were meeting up anyway. Kagami just knew that he wanted to find them, pronto. A ray of hope had finally shone down from above, and he couldn't let such an open chance slip away.

Eventually finding the gym, he slowly opened the double doors to the sound of a whistle blowing. "Time!" yelled a female voice. Kagami peeked inside. Around five generously sized male individuals were crowded around a smaller, stricter female. 'I guess I should speak up now...?'

"Um..." Kagami began. All six glanced in his direction. "Who are you?" the small brunette asked. "Um, my name is Kagami Taiga...I heard there was a basketball club, and..." by now, Kagami was completely inside of the room. Everyone else gawked at his incredible build.

"S-So tall...how come we've never seen you before?" the brunette asked, slowly approaching him with eyes full of wonder. "W-Well, I just moved here recently...from America, actually-"

"Take your shirt off."

"...heh?!"

"Just take your damn shirt off, pansy!"

Kagami reluctantly removed his shirt, allowing the small brunette to scan his torso. "Such great numbers..." she whispered. "Alright, you can put it back on. You can go stand on the side for now with the other newcomer."

Kagami looked towards the sidelines to find a whole lot of nothing. "I don't know what you're talking about, there's no one there..."

"What?! She was just here a second ago..."

"S-She?!..."

"I'm right here." Kagami looked down and in front of him to notice none other than a small female with long blue hair. He nearly choked on himself, reeling backwards. "Y-You!"


	3. Chapter 3

Kagami picked up his things and headed home early that day - to be exact, the basketball club's very first practice outside of school, ever since the first day of school. It had only been two days, but the scenes kept replaying in his head.

"It's you?!" Kagami exclaimed, inadvertently pointing to the small, blue-haired individual.

"Hello," she replied nonchalantly. Kagami was utterly flabbergasted.

"What are you doing here?!" He announced, accidentally sounding a little too rude to take back. He could see the small girl pop a couple veins in her forehead. "I go to this school. I'm fifteen years old."

Kagami was supremely speechless. Not only was she in his grade, but also ON THE BASKETBALL TEAM?! Not only was she the only girl on the team, but she was so short! And so slow! How could she POSSIBLY be on the team?! Wait for a game, wait for a game, the coach kept telling him. But how could a game be any different than a practice?! It's not like she'll suddenly start running faster and jumping higher! Kagami couldn't comprehend it. 'This isn't why I came back to America,' he thought.

On the way home, he decided to take a different (and longer) route, to walk off his stress. And as if the gods came down from the heavens and heard his prayers, he happened to walk past a basketball court, which he happily obliged. He took his basketball out of his bag, shooting from the free-throw line a couple of times before practicing his dunks. One of the dunks sent the basketball across the court. 'Whoops,' Kagami thought as he sought it out. Petite hands slowly cradled the ball, picking it up delicately. Kagami could notice that bright blue hair from a mile away, but it still came as a surprise.

"Wh-what are you even doing here?" Kagami stammered.

She passed him the ball regularly, which he caught, of course. "I got here before you," she said plainly.

"I-I knew that!" Kagami lied.

The petite, blue-haired girl sighed. "Look, I know I'm a girl, but that's no reason to hate me."

Kagami slowly turned his head, making eye contact. "What?" The blue-haired girl blinked a few times. "What do you mean 'what'? Everyone else judges me because I'm the only girl at the whole school that plays basketball, too."

"That's stupid," Kagami said, turning to the hoop. The small girl began to ball up her fists. "I don't care if you're a girl or not, stupid. Why is that even a reason to hate you? That's stupid, too." The small girl stood agape, unable to say anything in return. When was the last time she heard a response like this? She tried to remember if she ever HAD heard something like this before. She released her fists and breathed out.

"Pass me the ball."

"Hah?!"

"Just pass it. I want to show you something." Kagami stared her down before forcefully passing her the ball. She flinched slightly as she caught it.

"Now," she continued. "Stay by the hoop." She began to walk to the other side of the court. "Here's what you have to do: Once I pass the ball to you, you have to shoot it into THIS hoop," she said, throwing her thumb over her shoulder. "Sound simple enough?"

"Y-Yeah," Kagami answered. The small girl passed him a decent pass, which he caught and immediately sprinted across the court. Kagami looked around his peripheral. 'I must have run past her already,' he thought. 'I don't know what she could possibly be trying to show me.' Kagami began to reach the hoop. Just a little more and... As Kagami lifted the ball to make a shot, he noticed the ball felt much lighter than before. As he looked at his hands, he couldn't believe his hands. Kagami came to an abrupt stop.

'Wh-where the hell is the ball?!' he thought. 'Did I drop it somewhere?!' Kagami began to look around the court.

"Looking for this?" He heard a voice from across the court. He looked up to see the blue-haired girl carrying the ball.

"Wh-When the hell did you take that?!" Kagami exclaimed. "I didn't even feel it leave my fingers!..." The small girl approached Kagami and handed him the ball. "I believe this is yours."

"Yeah, it is...w-wait, what's your name?!" The small girl stopped, clenching her fists. "I sit right behind you in class." Kagami thought back to the first day of school; shortly after, his eyes widened. "Y-You're Kuroko Tetsuya?!"

Kuroko began walking away again. "W-Wait!" Kagami said, running up to her. She stopped and turned around. "My name is Kagami Taiga," Kagami said, holding out his hand. "I-It's a pleasure to have you on the team, Kurumi Tetsushi."

Kuroko grabbed his hand, gripping tightly. "It's Kuroko Tetsuya." Kuroko let go, turning her back towards Kagami again. She spoke before walking away. "Look...you're like a light. I've seen you play. It's very bright and brilliant." Kagami focused in the small female. "A bright light will always prevail. However," Kuroko slowly turned back to Kagami, looking him dead in the eyes. "A light cannot exist without a shadow. I am willing to be the shadow to your light, Kagami Taiga." Kuroko nodded softly. "Goodnight." Kagami snapped out of spacing out and nodded back.

"Y-Yeah," he responded. "See you at school tomorrow, Kagami-kun." "S-See you." Kagami watched Kuroko walk away before contemplating what just happened. 'Sh-she did take the ball right?! I don't think I would've dropped the ball, I haven't done something like that in years...' he thought. "Kuroko Tetsuya...just what kind of shadow are you?"


	4. Chapter 4

Kagami sighed. Thinking back to not ten minutes ago, his brain began to throb. He anxiously grabbed his forehead in frustration and sighed, louder, and Kuroko looked up at him with bright blue eyes.

Kagami locked his front door and ehaded towards the coach's house. 'Bonding, she says...sounds pointless to me...'

Upon passins the basketball court where he last interacted with the first girl he's met since he entered high school, he heard the familiar sound of a ball bouncing against the pavement, hitting the rim, and clashing against the chain-link fence. Looking up, a brilliant color caught his eye, shining bright blue.

"Hello, Kagami-kun."

"H-Hey." Kagami stood for an unbearably long amount of time, unable to find the right words to say. Meanwhile, Kuroko continued to stare straight into his eyes, making him uncomfortable, causing his brain to cease functioning properly. 'What's up with her staring?!' he thought. Kagami cleared his throat abruptly and slightly straightened his back. He nervously shoved his hands in his jacket pockets.

"So...do you live close to here, then?" Kagami asked.

"Assuming what?"

"Assuming...that's why you always show up here...?"

"Then yes, I do."

"Ah."

"..."

"Well...where?"

"Where what, Kagami-kun?"

Kagami was fed-up with Kuroko's sarcasm. He swore he could feel a vein pop in his skull. "Where do you live?..."

It felt like Kuroko's eyes were burrowing into Kagami even more than before, causing him to shift positions, glancing down at her shoes. "...Pervert Stalker."

Kagami choked on air, processing the conversation before responding. "N-no, that's not what I meant!"

"Kagami-kun is a Pervert Stalker. Ah, what is a young maiden like me to do." Kuroko picked up her ball, placed it in her bag, and wlaked past Kagami, slinging her Tote over her shoulder.

"No, no, wait!"

"Don't follow me, Pervert Stalker."

"We're going the same direction, smartass!"

"Kagami-kun is a Pervert Bully Stalker."

"H-Hey!"

Kagami sighed loudly unintentionally, not knowing that Kuroko was still staring at him intently. "Kagami-kun?"

"Hn?"

"Do you have any friends?"

"Wh-what the hell kind of a question is that?1?"

"Well, you don't act like you do."

"...I'll have you know, I have a brother and a coach back in America."

"So, you've been to America, Kagami-kun?"

"Yeah, for a good amount of years..." Kagami stared down at the ring around his neck, tugging on it lightly. Kuroko discontinued staring at Kagami and faced forward.

"We're almost there, Kagami-kun," Kuroko advised. She looked back up at Kagami, who was still gazing longingly at his ring, alone in his own thoughts. She looked back ahead.

Kuroko continued down the sidewalk, noticing the crosswalk coming up. She jogged up to the lightpole, pushing the button in order to signal the cross. She stopped, sighed, and looked back to Kagami, who was still spacing out, and about to walk into oncoming traffic.

Kuroko's eyes widened. Without thinking, she lunged towards Kagami with all of her might, slightly altering his balance, resulting in his downfall.

Kagami regained focus, noticing the Kuroko on top of him and the traffic in front of him. Kagami picked Kuroko up from under her arms, placing her on his lap in order to give himself enough leverage to sit up.

"W-wow...that was close, haha...I-"

Kuroko pulled her hand backwards, swinging it forwards at full force, smacking Kagami against the cheek. His eyes widened in surprise. He looked towards Kuroko; she was infuriated.

"KAGAMI-KUN! YOU CAN'T JUST SPACE OUT ALL THE TIME! YOU COULD'VE SERIOUSLY BEEN HURT, KAGAMI-KUN, YOU IDIOT! WHAT IF I HADN'T BEEN HERE?! WHAT IF...WHAT IF I..."

Kurok cut herself off, unable to continue speaking fluently due to the amount of tears streaming down her face.

Kagami stuttered nervously. "wh-what?!...I-I'm...I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I-"

Kuroko continued making eye contact with Kagami, refusing to wipe her eyes or lower her head. "Wh-what if...what if you...h-had died, Kagami-kun...Kagami-kun, I...D-don't die..."

Kagami wrapped his arms around Kuroko, embracing her tightly. Though small, he could feel her shaking beneath him. He lifted on of his hands and patted her head softly.

"Look, you-...Kuroko, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, okay?"

Kuroko looked up at Kagami with watery blue eyes, nodding slowly. Kagami grinned, standing, and holding Kuroko in his arms.

"I-I can walk, Kagami-kun-"

"Shut up. You look like a wreck right now. Just let me do what I wanna do and tell me how to get to the coach's house."

Kuroko nodded, hiding her tear-stained face in Kagami's chest. Kagami could feel his face heat up as he sighed.

Kagami carefully set Kuroko down on the coach's front porch, leaning down to become eye-level with her. "Are you okay?" he asked.

'Her eyes aren't too red...probably because she didn't rub them, too occupied with staring me straight in the eyes and slightly freaking me out...' Kagami thought.

"Fine," Kuroko replied. She followed Kagami up to the front door, watching him knock.

The coach opened the door with a grin. "You two arrived right on time! We were just about to start!"

The coach showed them into the living-room. Kagami sat down wherever there was space, and Kuroko squeezed in beside him.

"Alright guys, I know we've already had a few practices, but I would like to go down the line and formally introduce yourselves," She said. "Here, I'll start. My name is Riko Aida. I am sixteen years old, and in my second year. I am also the coach."

"My name is Hyuuga Junpei. Second year. I am the Captain. I excel in three-pointers. And I expect you first-years not to slack off!..." he adjusted his glasses.

"I am Izuki Shun. Second Year. I am point guard. Seems I am the Second Second*." Everyone collectively groaned.

"He is Mitobe Rinnosuke," Riko said, pointing to the tall, thick-browed sempai. "He's also a second year, and our current center. Also...he doesn't talk much."

'I feel like he would get along with a certain someone...' Kagami glanced down at Kuroko, who was already looking him straight in the eyes, as if expecting his gaze. His eyes darted upwards.

"Heya! I'm Koganei Shinji! :3 I'm a second year also! 3 I play forward, I'm also a Virgo, I'm five foot se-" Riko threw a pillow at Shinji's face. "Shut up! Next!"

"My name is Tsuchida Satoshi. I'm the last second year. I'm also a forward."

Kagami darted his eyes back and forth before sighing loudly. "My name is Kagami Taiga. I'm a first year. I just came back from America."

Kuroko straightened her back. "Hello. I am Kuroko Tetsuya. I am also a first year. I came from Teikou Middle School."

Riko rushed over to Kuroko, grabbing her by the shoulders. "T-Teikou?! So, you one of the water-girls?! Coaches?!"

Kuroko looked Riko straight in the eyes. "I didn't play basketball in middle school."

Riko sighed, slumping her shoulders. "Alright, sorry, my bad..." Kagami glanced from Kuroko to Riko, confused at the conversation, but not caring enough to pry. Riko sat back down. "...Well, while we're on the topic, why don't we talk about the interesting stuff, eh?" She pointed to Hyuuga. "He may look like nothing but a super-nerd, but in truth, he ALWAYS knows if the basket will make it or not, even if he doesn't always make the shot."

"H-hey!" Hyuuga grunted.

"Izuki here possesses the Eagle Eye, which allows him to see everyone on the court, allowing him to predict the best move to make in a short time span, even if there isn't always one." Izuki sweatdropped.

"Then there's Mitobe. He doesn't talk much, but he's fairly tall and works well on his own, so he works well as our center, or even defense.

"We also have Koganei. He can play any position on the field averagely, so we just call him the 'Jack of All Trades'."

"H-Hey, I don't think you give me enough credit! I-" Riko threw another pillow at Shinji's face to shut him up.

"Lastly, we have Tsuchida. He has shown great skill ever since he joined. Though he hasn't really changed...

"Okay that about covers all of the second years. So, how about you first years? What kind of skills do you possess?"

Kagami scratched the back of his head. "Well, I mostly lpay forward or center, and I dunk alot..."

"Ah, how blunt..." Riko added, slightly annoyed. "How about you, Kuroko-chan?"

Kuroko aimed her gaze at Riko. "I am a shadow."

Everyone looked towards her, confused. Kagami crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and bobbed his head up and down in agreement. "I wouldn't question it, it's true." Everyone else blinked their eyes in confusion as Kagami smirked and let out a small chuckle. Kuroko looked up at Kagami in confusion.


	5. Chapter 5

Kagami yawned loudly, pulling his shirt over his head before bounding down the stairs to grab something to eat. As he rummaged through his 'empty' fridge, his landline began to ring. Suspicious of who it might be, he hesitated before picking up the phone.

"Kagami Residence."

"Ah, Taiga, you finally answered! I've been calling you all day!"

Kagami froze, dropping his other hand to his side. "...yeah."

"Well anyways, I have been calling to tell you that I went up to your school the other day and talke to your teachers. You're grades haven't been very good. I'm very dissappointed in you."

Kagami nodded, acknowledging that his mom couldn't see it, glad she was only talking to him over the phone.

"Look, Taiga, you need to fix this happy-go-lucky behavior of yours. Life isn't all about doing what you want. This is exactly why I sent you out there in the first place, to get you away from that stupid sport. You'll never get anywhere in life if all you do is throw a ball back and forth. Besides, you were never that good anyways."

"Like you ever came to watch me play," Kagami hissed under his breath.

"What was that, Taiga?"

"Nothing," Kagami said out loud.

"Good. Well, I just wanted to tell you that your new tutors should be coming by somtime this week-"

"I already have one!" Kagami said the first thing that came to his mind; anything to get out of that sticky situation.

"...Oh, really? You need to tell me these things Taiga. Well, you'll have to stop taking lessons from them, I've already-"

"Then come down to meet her!" Kagami exclaimed. "Come by this saturday and meet her..."

"...Look Taiga, I don't know-"

"You want me to be more adult-like and stuff? Then let me pick my own tutors. If you don't like her, then you can get rid of her. Deal?"

"...Fine. I'll come by Saturday afternoon. Make sure to be there."

"I live here."

"Watch it young man."

"Yeah." Kagami slammed the phone against the reciever, slamming his other fist against the wall, causing the whole frame to shake. 'Shit,' he thought. Glancing to the corner of the room, he noticed his tote. After and elongated sigh, he grabbed his bag and headed outside.

Once Kagami reached the court, he was greeted none other than the ever so familiar color of bright blue, bouncing across the pavement. "Yo, Kuroko." Kuroko paused to look at Kagami. "Oh, hello Kagami-kun."

"Wacha doin out here?"

"I'm playing basketball, Kagami-kun."

Kagami gritted his teeth in frustration. "Yeah, whatever."

Grabbing his ball from his bag, Kagami began shooting freethrows from the other basket. He couldn't seem to get any of them in.

"What the hell!" Kagami threw his ball one last time before laying down on the ground and placing the backs of his hands against his eyes. Kuroko approached him, looming over Kagami eerily.

"What seems to be the problem, Kagami-kun?"

Kagami layed his hands down on the ground, followed by a loud groan. He looked up at Kuroko with frustrated eyes, his eyebrows squinted. "I...I need a favor..."

Kuroko sat down next to Kagami, basketball in her lap. "What is it, Kagami-kun?"

"How do I say this...are you, like, smart?"

"...how dare you call an innocent young lady stupid, Kagami-kun."

"No, no, that's not what I meant!" Kagami sat up, staring at the ground. He let out a sigh, looking Kuroko into her eyes. "Will you...be my temporary tutor?"

"...I didn't know you were that stupid, Kagami-kun."

Kagami gritted his teeth. "Well, I can't deny that...

"Just, look - my mom is coming to town, and I told her I have a tutor, and if it turns out I don't have a tutor, well...just, please?"

Kuroko burrowed her gaze into Kagami's skull. "I only score in the top 50, Kagami-kun-"

"Perfect!" Kagami grabbed Kuroko by her shoulders. "Please please please?!"

Kuroko cleared her throat, breaking her gaze. "S-sure..."

"Alright!" Kagami leapt off of the ground, pumping his fist into the air. "Thanks alot, Kuroko!"

"...no problem, Kagami-kun."

"Well, my moms coming on satruday, so wanna start walking home with me from school?"

"...s-sure, Kagami-kun."

"Sweet...Oh! One last thing..." Kagami approached Kuroko, placing his hands on her shoulders again. "Can you...can you not tell her I play basketball?"

"W-well, I...I can't lie, Kagami-kun."

"Well then...can you at least not bring it up? And if she brings it up, just let me do the talking, okay?"

Kuroko stared into Kagami's eyes again. "Why are you so adamant on this, Kagami-kun?"

Kagami pulled away, shoving his hands in his pockets and averting his gaze. "Just cause."

"...okay, Kagami-kun."

Kagami walked alongside Kuroko, heading to his house. To Kagami, walking together already felt normal, although he did have a tough time explaining the situation 'properly' to his team. Of course, he left a couple details out, but those weren't necessary, really. Kagami let out a sigh. Kuroko looked up at Kagami.

"Are you alrigth, Kagami-kun?"

"Yeah...I'm good, Kuroko."

They continued down the path, shortly reaching his house. They both entered, Kagami closing the front door behind them.

"I don't know when my mom will be here, but...want something to eat?"

"...Like what, Kagami-kun?"

"Anything you want."

"...I want a milkshake."

"Anything but that!"

"...Onigiri. Please."

"Th-that's...okay then." Kagami began heating rice in the rice cooker. "What flavor do you want?"

"...Rice flavor."

"Che. Well, I'm adding pickled plum, whether you like it or not."

Not much later, Kagami placed a plate of delicately created Onigiri on the table in between them. Kuroko stared at the plate before staring at Kagami. "I didn't know you could cook, Kagami-kun."

"Well, this isn;t necessarily cooking, but...I guess I'm not bad. I-I'm used to cooking for myself, I guess."

Kuroko grabbed a rice ball, slowly nibbling down. Kagami placed one after the other into his mouth.

Not much later, the doorbell rang. "Shit, it's my mom!" Kagami stood. "Kuroko, would you mind answering the door? I gotta get my school stuff..."

"Okay, Kagami-kun."

"Thanks!" Kagami rushed off to get his things, while Kuroko quietly stood and headed towards the front door.

Kuroko carefully opened the door to become face-to-face with a woman that looked nothing like Kagami. "Hello," she said delicately. "Are you Taiga's tutor?"

Kuroko assumed she was talking about Kagami. "Yes, I am Kagami-kun's tutor."

The lady held out a frail hand. "My name is Hiruma Tsubaki. Nice to meet you."

"I am Kurkoko Tetsuya." Kuroko shook her hand, curious as to why she did not have the same last name that Kagami did.

"Oh, my, you must be wondering why we don't have the same name yes? Well, I'm not his real mother, I'm his adopted mother, you see. But, I think of him as my son, you see." Kuroko nodded.

"Come in, please."

"Why, I think I will." Kagami's nother chuckled, passing by Kuroko. When they entered the living room, Kagami was sitting down at the table, staring at his homework, wearing a pair of glasses Kuroko had never seen before.

"Oh, Taiga, you finally started wearing those glasses I got you! Oh, they look so nice on you, don't they, Kuroko-san?"

Kuroko fluttered her eyelids. "Y-Yeah." Kagami grunted.

"Well then, why don't we get properly aquainted?" Kagami's mom sat down on the chair across from Kagami. Kuroko sat down on the floor next to him, hugging her knees.

"As you know, I am Hiruma Tsubaki. My age and weight are a secret, but I work at a big company in America with my fiance. I'm not able to visit Taiga often, but I hope that he is in good hands here."

"Yes," Kuroko responded. "He is."

"Haha, you're a woman of little words, I see. Well, I'm curious to know...how did you two meet?"

Kagami stiffened, looking up from his papers. "We're in the same class," he replied. "And since our names are so close, we were seated right next to each other. It kinda went off from there."

"Ah, how sweet! But I'm curious to know, how did you become tutor and student? And Taiga, you DO have some male friends at your school, don't you?"

"Yeah, I've got some. They're all my sempais."

"Ah, how great! Did you meet them in a club of some sort?"

Kuroko stiffened. She felt Kagami's hand rest on her shoulder.

"Well, I met them through Kuroko. She's really smart, so one of her classes is advanced, and she's in a class full of second-years. She introduced them to me."

"Well, that's great...but, shouldn't you be finding some friends on you own? You shouldn't need someone unrelevant to find one for you."

"Sh-she's not irrelevant!"

"But Taiga, she's just your home tutor."

"No, she's...she's my girlfriend!"

Kagami wrapped his arms around Kuroko, whose eyes were widened in surprise. She looked up at Kagami with bright blue eyes.

"Oh, that's just wonderful! A girlfriend already, you little stud! And it's so great that she's so talented!" Kagami's mom stood up, brushing off her skirt. "Well, I have to go now, I've got to catch my flight. Taiga, I'll call you when I get to America, alright?"

"Yeah." Kagami and Kuroko listened to the door close. Kuroko was frozen in place.

Kagami stood up, lending a hand to Kuroko. "Here." Kuroko grasped Kagami's hand firmly, trying to hide her shakiness.

"K-Kagami-kun, I-"

"Look, Kuroko...I'm sorry what I did back there. You don't have to pretend to be my girlfriend, my mom probably won't come back until graduation. Okay?"

Kuroko's hands dropped to her sides. She looked Kagami straight in the eyes and smiled softly. "Okay, Kagami-kun."

Kuroko silently picked up her things and ran out of the house. "Kuroko...? H-Hey! Kuroko! Where are you going?!" By the time Kagami reached his front door, Kuroko was gone; vanished.


	6. Chapter 6

Kuroko Tetsuya was about seven years old when she first began public schooling. Randomly entering in the middle of the year did not help the fact that she was overly shy and had never really talked to anyone else her age. She stood at the front of the class, hands clasped together across her torso, looking at her feet.

"Class, this is Kuroko Tetsuya. She'll be going to school with us from now on," The teacher said. Kuroko still didn't know her name.

"...hello."

"Kuroko, you can sit at the empty desk next to Tomiya." Kuroko glanced up to see an empty chair next to a bright-eyed girl with blonde pigtails eyeing her with excitement. Kuroko hesitantly made her way to her seat.

"Hey, Tetsucchi!" the girl whispered. "My name is Tomiya Kurumi! :D"

"...hello, Tomiya-san."

"No, please, call me Kurumi-chan!" Kuroko stared into Kurumi's golden amber eyes. She swore even Kurumi's eyes were smiling. "...yes."

The rest of the day went by very fast for Kuroko. Kurumi contonued to talk with her for the rest of the day, introducing Kuroko to all of her friends.

Kuroko's life went by like this for fourty-nine days. On a bright saturday afternoon, right after school let out, Kuroko noticed a note in her locker.

'Meet me behind the school after the bell rings. I have something I would like to tell you.

Kagarou Daiki, Sunshine class'

Kuroko clutched the note to her chest, making her way to the back of the school.

Waiting there for her was a boy she recognized well - he always hung out with Kurumi. He was also very known to their grade for his excellence in sports.

"K-Kuroko..." Daiki stuttered. Kuroko slowly approached.

"Hello."

Kuroko looked stright into Daiki's eyes. Everytime he tried to look up, he ended up averting his gaze and rambling.

Finally, Daiki forced himself to look Kuroko in the eyes. His light brey eyes met her bright blue ones. His face flushed as he took a deep breath.

"Kuroko Tetsuya, I've liked you for a very long time. Will you...go out with me?!..."

Kuroko felt her face warm up, a feeling she had never experienced before, but she didn't really mind it. "I-I...okay..."

Daiki's face lit up. He approached her joyfully, holding her hand. "Would you like me to walk you home?"

Kuroko blushed. "S-sure..."

The next day, Kuroko noticed Kurumi was not at school. The day became unbearably slow, and she felt relieved when lunch time finally came around.

She sat down underneath an isolated tree. Not much after, a group of girls approached her. Kuroko remembered them from a week or two ago, when Kurumi introduced her to them.

"Hey," one of them said. Kuroko looked up. "Why did you do that?"

"Hm?"

"Don't act like you don't know!" One of them kicked dirt towards Kuroko. She raised her arms sheepishly, looking her attackers straight in the eyes.

"You KNEW that Kurumi liked Daiki, and you deliberately went out with him! She saw you two walk home together yesterday, you can't deny!"

"Wh...what? I-I didn't..."

"Don't make up excuses!" They continued to kick dirt at Kuroko. "Apologize!"

"Hey, hey!" Daiki stepped in front of Kuroko. "Stop it!"

"Tch!" The girls walked away.

Daiki leaned down in front of Kuroko. "A-Are you okay?" Daiki asked. Kuroko nodded her head.

At the end of the day, Kuroko recieved a note in her locker that said ' S.'

The next day, Kuroko showed up to school. Kurumi was still not there. The whole day, nobody approached her.

At the end of the day, as her and Daiki were leaving school, the same group of girls approached them.

"What do you want know?!" Daiki asked protectively.

"You were lonely today, weren't you? Having no one to talk to must be the worst."

"Wh-what are you..."

"This only happened because you started going out with her."

"What?!"

"We're here to make a deal - break up with Kuroko and go out with Tomiya Kurumi, and everything will go back to normal."

"Wh-whatever!" Kuroko felt Daiki grip her hand. "We don't need you guys!" Daiki dragged Kuroko away from the school. Kuroko blushed all the way home.

A week later, it was still the same. Kuroko felt isolated, not being conversed to by anyone. Kurumi still wasn't at school. Kuroko somehow pulled through another empty day.

After school, she found Daiki waiting for her at the entrance. When she reached for his hand, he pulled away.

"What is it, Daiki-kun?"

"L-Look, Kuroko-chan...I don't think we can go out anymore."

Kuroko's hands dropped to her sides.

"I just...don't feel anything for you anymore."

Kuroko stared into Daiki's eyes. He averted his gaze.

"I've fallen in love with someone else now."

Kuroko looked at Daiki's eyes.

"I'm sorry."

The next day, Kurumi was at school. Kuroko saw her walk in with Daiki from the classroom window. The rest of the day went by with idle conversation.

As Kuroko was leaving school at the end of the day, Kurumi and Daiki approached her. "Hey, Tetsucchi!" Kurumi called. Kuroko gulped and turned around. "Hello."

"Hey, sorry for not coming to school or contacting you, I was so sick! Goodness, it probably would have spread to you even if a takled to you on the phone!

"Also, sorry about not telling you I started dating Daiki! It just kinda...happened!"

Kuroko smiled. "Yeah. Goodbye, Kurumi-chan."

Kuroko walked home. When she got to her room, she pulled her empty note book out from under her bed and wrote in it until her fingers felt numb. She shoved it back under her bed and cried herself to sleep without dinner.

Kuroko did not finish her sixth grade year.

Kuroko was already a few months into her seventh-grade year. When told she had to join a club, she decided to join the only club looking for a co-manager, the basketball team. It was a warm afternoon when one of the players called her out after practice.

He was much taller than her, at least a foot more. Kuroko rememebered him from orientation, she recalled him going by the name 'Aomine'.

"Hey, I just wanted to know if you wanted to hang out this weekend?" He asked casually.

Kuroko looked him straight into his eyes. "Okay, Aomine-kun."

Eventually, Kuroko began dating Aomine. Kuroko tried to recall how it happened, but she can never remember. She thinks maybe one night, after one of their dates, he asked her out. It was all very fuzzy to her and she couldn't wrap her mind around it.

Aomine always walked her home after practice and they ate lunch with each other everyday. Every other weekend, they would meet up to go on a date. To Kuroko, it all felt very jaded, making her life pass by like a blur.

The next thing she knew, Kuroko had been dating Aomine for a couple of months already. Everyone in school knew about their relationship. The school trip was coming up, and they planned to spend every moment with each other.

On the second day of the trip, Kuroko planned to meet Aomine near the lake, where they had walked the previous day. When she got there, Aomine was already waiting for her.

"Kuroko."

"Aomine-kun."

Aomine approached Kuroko, holding her face in his hands. He leaned down and kissed her lips. Kuroko felt no stimulation.

His hands began to make their way down her sides. She flimsily grabbed ahold of his hands. "W-Wait..."

"Wait for what? Another school trip? A freaking miracle? Come on, just move with me..."

"I-I don't think this is right, Aomine-kun..."

"Don't worry...this is gonna feel really good, I promise. Okay?"

He placed his hands on her hips, working his way into the kiss. Kuroko moaned.

Aomine lifted his hands up to take off her shirt. When Kuroko resisted, Aomine held her hands down.

Kuroko could Aomine pressing down on places she didn't want to be touched. He deepened the kiss, rubbed his hands on her breasts, grinded against her crotch...

Kuroko tried to push Aomine away, unsuccessively. Aomine grabbed ahold of Kuroko's arms with one hand and pushed her to the ground.

Unable to break free, Kuroko whimpered in denail. Aomine bit Kuroko's lips, causing her to silence her voice.

Kuroko felt violated, uneasy, frustrated, confused...she couldn't comprehend why out of the blue, Aomine would want these things.

"Wh..." Kuroko tried to voice out.

"Hm? What?" Aomine said.

Kuroko caught her breath. "Wh-why are you doing these things, Aomine-kun?"

Aomine bit Kuroko's neck. "Kuroko, this is super normal. Don't you know? This far into the relationship, it's wierd if you don't do these things."

"B-But, Aomine-kun,"

"Come on, come on, you want to be cool, don't you? You don't wanna be the outcast..." Aomine began licking Kuroko's ear. She flinched.

"Aomine-kun, I-I...I can't!"

Kuroko struggled for release, anything to be free. She could feel Aomine's hands press down in her wrists hard.

"I didn't want it to come to this." Aomine used his free hand to reach into his pocket, grabbing a small bottle. He unscrewed the cap, pouring the liquid into his mouth. He collided his lips with Kuroko, forcing the liquid down her throat.

Kuroko began coughing, adjusting her throat. Aomine released his grip on Kuroko.

When Kuroko tried to stand, she immediately fell to the ground. Unable to hold herself up, she became confused.

Kuroko's vision became blurry. She faintly saw more people enter the scene, she felt mroe odd sensations, then she blacked out...

Kuroko's desk was covered in trash. On the school bulletin board, a document of a link was posted that led to an internet post, filled with pictures and videos, of the night Kuroko 'Had Sex with TEN GUYS! :o'

Kuroko felt isolated. When she walked into school, other students slapped her butt or groped her. When she entered the classroom, her desk was covered in trash. During lunch, her food was thrown into the fountain. After school, she was followed home and assaulted.

Kuroko headed to the first basketball practice since they returned. When she walked into the gym, she was confronted by the whole team, and a new girl she did not recognize.

"What do you want?" Aomine asked bluntly. Kuroko stiffened.

"I'm...here for basketball practice."

"No you're not." Aomine wrapped his arm around the new girl. "She's the new co-manager. Her name's Momoi. You can leave now."

Kuroko couldn't move. Her mind was telling her to leave, but her body wouldn't let her.

"Hey, you heard me, I said leave!" Aomine shoved Kuroko, forcing her to the ground. "Hahahah, oh sorry!"

"Hahah, maybe she wants to have sex first," one guy said.

"I call dibs on her first, man!" another said.

Kuroko picked herself up and sprinted out of the gym and towards her house. She began ripping her school uniform, pulled her notebook out from under her bed, and wrote in it until her fingers bled.

Kuroko returned to school a week later. For the rest of the year, she talked to no one. Every day, she cleaned the trash off of her desk and brought money for lunch at the lunch line. She wore a white button-up she got at the store, a cheap ribbon, and a hand-me-down pleated skirt until her parents could afford a new uniform. At the end of every day, Kuroko was followed home and assaulted. When she got home, she would write into her journal until her mind went blank. She was homeschooled for her eighth grade and ninth grade years.

When she first approached tenth grade, her parents purposely moved her into a house by herself in a small town with a single school in order to 'help her'. Kuroko took all of her belongings with her, including her journal. At the end of every day, she goes home and reads her journal from front to back.

**YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY YOU'RE NOT SORRY **


	7. Chapter 7

Kagami sighed, shoving his hands in jacket pockets. As he re-entered his classroom and sat down at his desk, an empty loneliness loomed over him. 'Still not here,' he thought, glancing out the window towards the front entrance of the school. 'Where the hell is she?! I...I hope she's okay...'

Kagami ruffled his hair with his hands. 'No, no, what am I thinking?! I...I mean...it's normal to wonder if she's alright. She's on the basket ball team...'

_"What're you doing?"_

_ "I'm playing basketball, Kagami-kun."_

'A-And she sits right next to me...'

_"What are you doing here?!"_

_ "I go to this school. I'm 15 years old."_

'A-And she's tiny, so, her health must not be that good...'

_"Can I help you?"_

_ "Where the hell did you come from?!"_

_ "Um, I've been here the whole time..."_

'A-And, she...'

_"This isn't icecream. This is a shake."_

_ "I'm right here."_

_ "Look, I know I'm a girl, but that's no reason to hate me."_

_ "Just pass it. I want to show you something."_

_ "See you at school tomorrow, Kagami-kun."_

_ "Kagami-kun is a Pervet Bully Stalker."_

_ "KAGAMI-KUN!"_

_ "Wh-what if...what if you...h-had died, Kagami-kun...Kagami-kun, I...D-don't die..."_

_ "...I didn't know you were that stupid, Kagami-kun."_

_ "...okay, Kagami-kun."_

_ "Are you alright, Kagami-kun?"_

_ "K-Kagami-kun, I-I..."_

_ "Thank you, Kagami-kun."_

'And she's...special to me...'

Kagami placed his head in his arms on his desk. As the bell rang signaling the end of lunch, he could hear the shoes of his classmates scuffling around him. The teacher entered the room and began passing papers out.

"Hm, Kuroko-chan still isn't here...does anyone in here know where she lives?"

Head still on his desk, Kagami lifted one of his arms reluctantly.

"Kagami-kun, lift your head up, I know how you doze off in class!"

Kagami lifted his head up. The teacher rushed over to him.

"Kagami-kun, are you okay? Your face is so red!" Kagami grunted. "Here, take these papers and go ahead and head down to the nurse. Geez, what is this, flu season?"

Kagami picked up his things and headed down to the nurses office, face flushed red.

To Kagami, it felt like he had been laying down on the bed in the nurses office for centuries. He heard the door open and checked to see who had entered.

"Kagami? What're you doing in here?" Riko asked.

"I should be asking you that, coach."

"I come here every so often in advance to collect bandages and stuff for injuries and the like. Now, to you...you aren't sick like Kuroko-chan are you?"

"Kuroko isn't sick."

"Wh-what?...Hey, you didn't say anything to her to hurt her feelings, did you?!"

"...Probably."

Riko focused her attention fully on Kagami. "W-Well...what does that mean?! Is she upset with you?"

"...Probably."

Kagami could feel his face burn red. Riko sat down on the bed and faced Kagami. "You...hang out a lot, don't you?"

"...Probably."

"More than just basketball players?"

"...Probably."

"More than...just friends?"

Kagami covered his mouth with his hands. "...Probably."

"You...You love Kuroko-chan, don't you, Kagami-kun?"

Kagami hid his whole face in his hands and lay back down. "...Probably."

Kagami could here Riko shuffling papers. "Here," she said. Kagami took his head out of his hands and took the paper. In the top corner, in small girly handwriting, was an address fairly close to his. Without a word, Kagami grabbed his things and ran out of the nurses office and towards the entrance of the school. Riko sighed and held a hand up to her forehead. "Geez, that guy..."

"Tetsuya..."

Kuroko lifted her head out from under her covers. Her father and mother were standing at the foot of here bed.

"Hello."

"Good morning, sweetie," Kuroko's mother cooed. Kuroko stared into her mother's eyes.

"Tetsuya," her father sat down on her bed and placed his hand on her leg. "We noticed you've been looking a little...lonely." Kuroko brushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"We felt bad, just sitting around, watching you sit down and say nothing all day, so we talked to some of your basketball friends over the phone, and..." Kuroko sat up in nervousness, eyes lit up with excitement.

"They gave us an address to meet you at and hang around, so...why don't you go, sweetie?" her mom asked. Kuroko shakily grabbed the piece of paper and nodded. Her parents smiled, leaving the room without a word.

Kuroko's heart fluttered. She was nervous to meet back up with Kagami after what happened, but she expected him to forgive her and hang out with the others. She jumped out of bed and rummaged her closet for an outfit as she imagined having fun with her new friends.

Kagami nervously shook his shoulders and shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. After analyzing his current look, he shook his head, adjusted his collar, and cleared his throat before knocking on the front door.

A tall, frail woman with pale skin and light brown hair answered the door. "Hello?" she asked politely.

"...hey."

"Um...hello!...I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"O-Oh, sorry..." Kagami rubbed a hand on the back of his head shakily. "I'm Kagami Taiga. I...I go to school with your daughter..."

"Ah! Well, Tetsuya isn't home right now," she said, glancing behind her shoulder.

"Oh, uh...I just came to, uh...deliver some papers...for class, and stuff...sorry."

Kuroko's mom chuckled. "Well, won't you come in?"

Kuroko's mom handed Kagami a cup of freshly brewed tea as they both sat across from each other in the small living room.

"So, you're Tetsuya's friend? Of how long?" she asked.

"Well...we sit next to each other in class, so...since the beginning of the year? Also, we play basketball together..."

"Hm..." Kuroko's mom drank some tea before continuing. "I wonder...could you possibly know what Kuroko's been up to?"

"...Pardon?"

"Well, you see, we don't actually live here, it's just Kuroko by herself. But recently, she called us down here. We don't really know what's going on, even when we lived together she never asked for help. Did...did she get into another fight at school?"

'Another...?' "W-Well..." Kagami pondered his options. "N-Not that I know of."

"Well, then...I need a favor out of you, Taiga-kun. You see, when she was little, we got her a journal. She used to never write in it, but we noticed that whenever she is feeling down, she will pull it out and write in it for hours on end. We used to not pay attention to it - we thought that she was maybe just writing diary entries. But now, every day, all she does is either sleep, or stare into the notebook without eating. We're very worried about her health. She used to keep it under her bed, but...now, we don't know where it is. We've looked under her bed, in her desk, underneath her hamper, we just can't seem to find it. I don't know if it'll help or not, but I wanted to try...will you look for it? Please? We just want our daughter to be happy, but even though she called us over, she's so very quiet..." Kuroko's moms eyes teared up. Kagami leaned across the table.

"I...I will definetely try."

Kuroko's mom smiled widely. "Thank you, thank you!" She ushered Kagami to Kuroko's room. "I'll just leave you to it, then. Call me if you find it, okay?"

"S-Sure..." Kuroko's mom closed the door behind her. Kagami was left to his own thoughts and awe.

The room was painted a pale yellow, with bright blue butterflies scattered of varied sizes and types. He noticed the paint set on her desk and began tracing a butterfly with his finger. "She...she did this?" There were more butterflies than he could count on every wall. Kagami sighed in amazement.

Glancing at the rest of the room, he noticed every piece of furniture, every frame, every door was painted with a white background, absorbed in bright blue butterflies. Where there was yellow, blue butterflies. Where there was white, blue butterflies. Kagami noticed she even began painting some on the ceiling. "She...how did she even get up there...?"

Kagami noticed a small bulletin board over her school desk, walking over, he noticed few papers, but one of light blue, which stood out. He read the small poem.

_ The example_

_Here's an example from_

_A Butterfly;_

_That on a rough, hard rock_

_Happy can lie;_

_Friendless and all alone_

_On this unsweetened stone._

_Now let my bed be hard,_

_No care take I;_

_I'll make my joy like this_

_Small Butterfly;_

_Whose happy heart has power_

_To make a stone a flower._

_By William H. Davies_

Kagami grazed his hand along the paper, anxious to define the true meaning behind the words. "Kuroko...why do you paint these butterflies?"

As Kagami pulled his hand away, he noticed a bump in the paper. He curiously removed the paper from the bulletin board to reveal a small key and folded piece of paper on a thumbtack.

He held the key in his hands as he unfolded the paper and began to read.

'Keep it where your secrets lie, above the shade, out of reach.'

"Wh...What the hell does this mean?! Kuroko, since when were you a poet, geez..." Kagami sighed loudly as he analyzed the poem further.

"Above, above...I'm looking above, I don't get it..." Kagami paused. "But, if Kuroko's looking up..."

Kagami got down on his knees and scanned the room carefully. The light from the ceiling against the desk cast a shadow against the corresponding wall, pointing out a small gap on the side of an electrical outlet above the small shadow. Kagami crawled over to the outlet, noticing the 'screw' was actually a small key hole. He inserted the key and turned, followed by the outlet popping out of the wall. There was a small safe inside the wall bigger than the size of the outlet. Inside was a paper-back notebook.

"Is...this has to be it, right?" Kagami was surprised to find a picture of a red sun on the cover. Kagami delicately opened up to the front page.

Without a word, Kagami opened the door to Kuroko's room and walked into the living room to meet Kuroko's mom, who was sitting on the couch. She stood up expectantly.

"Oh, did you find anything?"

Kagami looked her straight in the eyes. "You said Kuroko went somewhere?"

"W-Well, she did go somewhere...actually, I was surprised when you said you were also on her basketball team, now that I think about it..."

"Who is she with? Right now?"

"Well, I told her to go hang out with some basketball friends...she was so excited, I didn't have time to tell her that they were some old friends from middle school who happened to be in the area...she's never mentioned you before. Are you sure you're on that team?"

"Y-Yeah...but, I forgot where we're supposed to be meeting. Could you, remind me?"

"Well...I think I have it written down...here..." Kuroko's mom handed Kagami a piece of paper. Kagami shoved the journal in his pants pocket and bowed his head. "Thank you for having me," he said before bursting through the front door.

"Kuroko, Kuroko, Kuroko..." Kagami constantly murmured as he found his way to the decided location.


	8. Chapter 8

_ "K-Kagami-kun, I-I..." Kuroko's mind was jumbled. 'Does he...does Kagami-kun really...th-think of me that way? I-I, I don't know what to say...what do I say? D-do I look okay? Is this...okay? I...I don't want to be hurt again...no! Kagami-kun is different...he's different than the others! He's the only one who's ever treated me this way...definetely, definetely he'll think of the same way...'_

_ "Look, Kuroko...I'm sorry what I did back there. You don't have to pretend to be my girlfriend, my mom probably won't come back until graduation. Okay?"_

_ Kuroko's hands dropped to her sides. 'K-Kagami-kun...why? Why, Kagami-kun? I thought...I thought you were different. I thought...' Kuroko pulled her fear and nervousness into a badly-faked smile. "Okay, Kagami-kun." Kuroko lowered her head and grabbed her things, running out the front door as tears formed into her eyes. She hid behind a nearby light post as she heard Kagami open his front door and soon afterwards close it again. Kuroko let out a soft sob before continuing down the road to her house._

_ 'Please don't say sorry...don't be sorry...I'm not sorry...why did you have to be sorry? Why? Why? Why?'_

Kuroko's eyes opened as she snapped herself awake. With a gasp, she alerted everyone in the room.

"Having a bad dream, huh? Was little Kuroko-swan having a little nightymare?" One said.

"Oh no, don't say that stuff, you'll make her piss her pants," another said while giggling.

Aomine approached Kuroko, Momoi around his arm. "It's so good to see you again, Kuroko-chan. Done it with anyone lately? Or are you having a little bit of a dry spell?"

Kuroko lowered her head. Aomine grunted and grabbed her hair with his free hand, yanking her head up, forcing eye contact.

"Why don'tcha tell us how you've been, Kuroko-chan? We've all missed you very much. We were so dissapointed when we found out you would be homeschooled...but then, by some odd chance, we _happen_ to take a vacation to where you moved, and we _happen_ to get a mysterious call from your parents asking us to take you out and have some fun. How coincidental is that, huh?"

Kuroko felt tears form in her eyes. "You called my parents, my parents didn't call you."

Aomine gripped her hair tighter, yanking her head back and forth forcefully. "You apparently don't know how to listen." He grabbed ahold of her neck and forced her face into his. "Your parents called us. We happened to be in town. We happened to stumble upon you, in a rinky-dink town where the sexiest thing here is the raccoon that eats everyones trash.

"Seriously, what were you thinking, moving here? It's just a huge dump. Nothing to it, nothign gained. There's one convenience store, one school, one everything. Useless. Insignificant. Oh, I'm sorry, did I offend you, Kuroko-chan?"

Kuroko's eyebrows furrowed in anger. She glared into Aomine's eyes.

"You can say what you want about me, but you can say nothing about something yu haven't even tried...unless you're a child."

Aomine gripped Kuroko's throat tightly. Her eyes widened in terror. "Listen here, you little shit," Aomine said. "You don't get to tell me what to do unless you want to face the consquences." Aomine released his grip on Kuroko's neck in order to punch her across the face.

"Oh, what happened to the balls you had earlier, Kuroko-chan? What happened?!" Aomine punched Kuroko again. His hand almost slipped across her cheek from the tears spilling down her face.

"You're just a little bitch, aren't you, Kuroko?" Aomine bit Kuroko's neck. Kuroko winced and continued sobbing. "I want to hear it. I want to hear you say it."

Kuroko lifted her head to look into Aomine's eyes. "I...I-I'm..."

"Hm, what was that?" Aomine punched Kuroko again. She cried out in pain.

"If you can complain about me, then you certainly have enough words to say about yourself. You're just a piece of shit trash. Say it! Say it!"

"Yeah, say it! Kuroko's a little bitch!" Someone in the back said.

Everyone in the back began chanting eagerly. "Kuroko's a little bitch! Kuroko's a little bitch!"

Kuroko sobbed uncontrollably. She continued staring into Aomine's eyes. "I-I'm a little-"

Police sirens began wailing in the distance, drawing closer rapidly. "Shit, it's the police!" one guy yelled.

"Tch." Aomine walked away from Kuroko. "I'll see you again, Kuroko-chan~" Him and the others escaped through the back door on the mysterious complex. After a good three minutes, the police sirens turned off, followed by a knocking on the door.

"Hello?! Hello?!"

'Is that...' "K-Kagami-kun...?"

"KUROKO!"

Someone on the other side began pounding down the door. Eventually, the weak lock gave in, and the door burst open to reveal Kagami. He ran over to Kuroko.

"Kuroko, what happened, you're-" Kagami began untying Kuroko's binds. He placed them all on the ground and began to observe her wounds.

"Kuroko, your knees are bleeding, and your head! Who did this to you-"

Kuroko leaped into Kagami's arms, sobbing loudly. She wrapped her arms around his torso, weeping into his chest.

Kagami placed his arms around Kuroko, rubbing her back. "Kuroko, Kuroko..." he mumbled. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner..."

Kuroko began rambling sentences. "You...you always...say...always say that...that you're sorry...why Kagami-kun...why are you sorry...why...do I..."

"I-I...I don't know...I mean..."

"Wh-why would you...say sorry...under those circumstances...Kagami-kun...Kagami-kun...you say things...things that make me so happy...then you take those happy feelings away...I'm sorry...I didn't want you...to be like...like the others...wh-why...

"First I'm your deskmate...then I'm on your team...then I live by you...then I eat where you eat...then I practice where you practice...then I'm your tutor...what am I to you, Kagami-kun? What am..."

Kagami lowered his head and placed his chin on the top of Kuroko's head. "Well, I...I think that..."

"Enough." Kuroko looked into Kagami's eyes, her own swollen red, still crying. "I...I really really really really like Kagami-kun. More that classmates. More than basketball players. More that Tutor and Student. More than just friends." Kuroko smiled softly. "I...I love Kagami-kun very much."

Kagami gripped Kuroko tightly into a hug. "W-well, I think that...maybe...I, uh...might like you...i think..."

Kuroko shoved herself out of the hug. "More than classmates?" Kagami nodded.

"More than basketball players?" Kagami nodded, shakily.

"More...than friends?" Kagami nodded a third time, face flushed.

"Kagami-kun...I-I love Kagami-kun. I love Kagami-kun a lot. I love-"

Kagami covered Kuroko's mouth with his hand. "O-Okay, okay, I get it!..." He turned his head, averting his gaze. "I-I love you too, Kuroko...uh..."

Kuroko snuggled into Kagami's chest. " I love Kagami-kun, too." Kagami blushed profusely.


End file.
